Blog: It’s a brave new world we live in, apparently. The internet begat Facebook. Facebook begat Twitter. And suddenly everything we want is at our fingertips in an instant.

Newspapers, such as our sister paper the Shropshire Star have embraced the new technology – tweeting over the last couple of weeks from the crucial school-closure consultation meetings.

But is all this new technology necessarily a good thing?

Well, yes. And no, if my experience is anything to go by.

Those of you who follow me on Twitter (yep, I’m on there too – too afraid of missing anything!) will have seen one or two rants about my wheely-bin, which vanished from outside my flat. Phone calls to Shropshire Council achieved nothing. I was told a replacement bin had been delivered and must have “walked” and that another would be sent. But nothing happened.

Then, after one rant on Twitter I received a reply from the council (a little odd, as a disclaimer says their Twitter account is not monitored. Maybe it was just the volume of my tirades that forced their hand?) saying they would look into the matter. Over the next couple of hours, completely through Twitter, the matter was resolved and arrangements made for a new bin to be delivered at a time when I could ensure that, once it had, it wasn’t bin and gone, like the last time.

So, 1-0 to technology? Well maybe, but surely my phone call to the same people about the same subject to have secured the same result? I couldn’t help thinking it was a case of technology for technology’s sake.

Where I would like to see technology is on the football field. Most of you will know why. I’m still not over the baffling and, frankly, inept decision of the linesman (sorry, assistant idiot) to give a goal against Shrewsbury Town on Saturday for an effort in which not only did all of the ball not cross the line, none of the ball crossed the line. Goal-line technology would have proved very quickly what we all now know. That Richard Wigglesworth (obviously picked on at school for that nickname which is why he decided to become an officious oaf with a flag) is a blithering idiot. Should Shrewsbury miss out on automatic promotion by one or two points I shall hunt down Mr Wigglesworth and call him names (suggestions welcome to my Twitter page – making another good use of social networking. It’s not all about bins).

Still, at least some Shrewsbury Town players can benefit from the leaps and bounds in technology.

Four of them – Shane Cansdell-Sherriff, Kevin McIntyre, David Raven and Nicky Wroe – are in danger of giving footballers a good reputation by taking on the infamous three-peaks challenge to raise money for Hope House children’s hospice.

In days gone by they would have had to go door-to-door with their sponsor forms, probably getting 1p a foot from Mrs Bumbledom at no.34. Now, through Facebook and Twitter, potentially thousands of sponsors can be reached, as well as people to provide much needed equipment, and vast sums of money will hopefully be raised. And no sponsor forms needed – you can donate via their “Just Giving” website (www.justgiving.com/stfc-challenge). I wish them all the best.

So there you are. Technology wins 3-0. Like I said, the first one’s a bit questionable, but as Mr Wigglesworth proved on Saturday, if in any doubt at all, make it up and give it anyway.

• Don’t forget, follow me on Twitter (@BurrowsAbout).
  
• You can read my column every Thursday in the Shrewsbury Chronicle